No. 5 Penn State Men’s Hockey Rallies To Beat Stonehill 3-2
No. 5 Penn State men’s hockey (6-1-0, 0-0-0 Big Ten) rallied back from a third-period deficit to beat Stonehill (1-5-0) 3-2 at Pegula Ice Arena on Friday night.
After an early goal by Matt DiMarsico, Stonehill rallied for a pair of goals in 30 seconds in the second period to take a lead deep into the third period. With the crowd uneasy, Gavin McKenna scored his first goal at Pegula to tie the game, and a late power play saw JJ Wiebusch bury the game-winner.
How It Happened
Josh Fleming made his second straight start in net after starting just one of the first five games. He got caught out of position in the first minute, and Stonehill’s Devon Carlstrom nearly converted a wraparound chance, but the puck slid off his stick.
McKenna bolted up the left side shortly after and delivered a great feed to the slot, but Aiden Fink was tied up, and Connor Androlewicz made the save off the skate of Fink. Stonehill played aggressively early, keeping Penn State from getting into their offense and generating a few chances of their own.
The best chance of the first ten minutes came at 7:30, when Dane Dowiak gained the zone alone and pulled off a nifty move around the lone defender, only to be stopped by Androlewicz. Stonehill’s Pat Murphy got the Skyhawks’ best early chance soon after, pinging one off the post at 8:34.
Ben Schoen and Shea Van Olm had point-blank chances denied as the Nittany Lions put the pressure on. The first penalty of the game came at 10:50, when Charlie Cerrato was hooked by Billy Renfrew. After a strong early kill by Stonehill, Penn State got a pair of chances on a Wiebusch deflection and a Cerrato stuff-in try, but the Skyhawks eventually killed it off.
Shortly after the kill, however, the Nittany Lions took advantage of some sloppy neutral ice play. After the puck deflected off JJ Grainda’s stick at the Stonehill end, Matt DiMarsico picked the puck up. He deposited it over the left shoulder of Androlewicz for his seventh goal of the season, assisted by Nolan Collins and Reese Laubach, at 13:07.
Suddenly playing with a deficit, Stonehill looked sloppy, culminating in another minor penalty by Charles Banquier, going off for interference at 15:30. This power play was uneventful, as Stonehill blocked a few shots and the Nittany Lions were misconnecting on some passes.
Right after the power play expired, multiple shots got through to the goaltender, including a strong shot by Lev Katzin from the left circle, but there was no encore to the end of the first power play. The final minute of the period saw a pair of thunderous hits along the boards, wrapping up a strong opening frame for the Nittany Lions.
The first two minutes of the second period saw Penn State come super close to doubling their lead, getting three shots on goal, not including a tap-in attempt by Luke Misa from point blank, going off the post. McKenna appeared to have attempted a “Michigan” from behind the net, but lost the puck on the way up.
Just past the four-minute mark, Stonehill got their best chance to tie the score on a shot by Zachary Aben that went wide. In an ensuing scrum, Fleming made a pair of spectacular saves to keep the Skyhawks scoreless.
The shutout wouldn’t last for long, though, as a blocked shot got Fleming out of position and the puck landed on the stick of Joel Lehtinen, who scored his first goal of the season at 6:03 to tie the game. Just 24 seconds later, another bouncing puck deflected its way to Evan Orr, and the Stonehill captain buried it to give them a 2-1 lead in the blink of an eye.
The pair of goals completely flipped the momentum of the game, as Stonehill suddenly controlled possession for an extended period for the first time all game. Penn State turned it around to get a pair of shots on net, but had to break up a 2-on-1 rush around the 11-minute mark as the defense continued to struggle.
The first big after-the-whistle scrum came at 11:35, with Murphy and Nolan Collins both going off for roughing, resulting in two minutes of 4-on-4 action. Stonehill’s Matthew Romer repeatedly threatened during the power play, but Fleming was settling back in.
After play returned to five-a-side, Penn State got its third power play on a too many men on the ice call at 14:52. They got an immediate chance on a shot by Mac Gadowsky and an ensuing stuff-in attempt, but Androlewmade the stop. Despite prolonged zone time, they once again couldn’t find the back of the net.
The two sides traded possession over the final minutes, but Stonehill would take a 2-1 lead into the third period despite being outshot 28-22.
The first several minutes of the third were choppy on both sides, with both teams settling for shots from the point as their only offense in a giveaway-heavy stretch.
Justin Mexico hit another pipe for Stonehill at the 6:26 mark, but the game had entered a real lull for the first eight minutes. That lull ended when a shot by Jackson Smith deflected onto the stick of Wiebusch, who delivered a sensational feed to McKenna. The freshman phenom buried the pass into the back of the net for his second goal of the season and first at Pegula, tying the game at two at 8:11.
The momentum, unfortunately, didn’t last long. Smith took an interference penalty at 9:25 to send Stonehill to their first power play. The first big chance, however, went to Penn State, as McKenna and Fink drove down the ice shorthanded and Fink nearly converted a chaotic chance in the crease with a bouncing puck.
The Nittany Lions delivered an impressive penalty kill, keeping Stonehill from any quality chances. Around the 12-minute mark, a pair of Nittany Lions got banged up, as Laubach and Jarod Crespo both limped off the ice, with Crespo needing play to be stopped to get off.
The tying goal from McKenna and ensuing kill had given the Nittany Lions some real energy, as they pressured the Skyhawks over the next several minutes, drawing a holding penalty on David Posma at 13:52 to get their fourth power play of the night.
Once again, Stonehill was keeping Penn State to the perimeter and preventing the slot shots that make them so deadly. The power play again expired without many good chances, but Stonehill got an opportunity to respond with a Crespo tripping call, suddenly putting the Nittany Lions on the penalty kill at 17:04.
Much of the power play was again kept to the outside, but Fleming made a big save in front on a shot by Renfrew at 18:55. The ensuing scrum saw Katzin get thrown to the ice, but no call was made initially. A review was called for, and while Cole Melady did not get a major for seemingly throwing a punch, he was given a two-minute minor for roughing.
After nine seconds of skating four-a-side, Penn State would get a power play, and it turned out that the fifth time was the charm. A deflection by Wiebusch on a booming shot from the point by McKenna found the back of the net at 19:38, sending Pegula into a frenzy. Mac Gadowsky picked up a secondary assist on the power play goal.
That would turn out to be the game-winner, as Stonehill pulled the goalie, but was unable to threaten Fleming in the final 22 seconds.
Takeaways
- Penn State got the opening goal for the second game in a row after surrendering the first goal in four consecutive contests.
- Stonehill goaltender Connor Androlewicz spent the 2024-25 season with Maine. After how Penn State used Maine as a springboard to the Frozen Four, you have to think Androlewicz had revenge in mind, making 33 saves and nearly stealing an upset victory for the Skyhawks.
- Gavin McKenna was buzzing all game. He was as confident with his shot as we’ve seen all season and turned in some of his best 5-on-5 play of the season, which’ll surely quiet the critics who’ve been critical of his start to the season.
- Behind-the-Back Boys status update: two goals, one assist. Matt DiMarsico briefly tied the team lead in goals, but JJ Wiebusch is back on top with eight.
- Josh Fleming, aside from 30 seconds and a pair of bad bounces, was sharp in his third collegiate start, making 30 saves.
Up Next
The men’s hockey team concludes its weekend series with Stonehill at 6 p.m. on Saturday, October 25, at Pegula Ice Arena. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.
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